Energy Secretary Chris Wright went on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday and said something millions of American drivers wanted to hear: the Trump administration is not ruling anything out when it comes to lowering the price at the pump.
Asked directly about a federal gasoline-tax suspension, Wright told the interviewer the administration is “open to all ideas” that could bring costs down for consumers and businesses. He acknowledged that every policy option carries tradeoffs, but the door is now clearly open.
The federal excise tax on gasoline currently sits at 18.4 cents per gallon. With the national average price for regular gas hitting $4.452 per gallon as of May 4, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, that tax is a concrete target for relief.
Energy Sec. Wright says ‘we’re open to all ideas’ amid calls to suspend gas tax: Full interview https://t.co/5qhwFLH0mp pic.twitter.com/TEigu5omcE
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 10, 2026
Wright’s comments represent a notable shift. A White House official had previously indicated that a gas-tax suspension was not under consideration. Now the administration’s top energy official is publicly keeping the idea in play.
The idea would require congressional action. The administration cannot suspend the tax unilaterally. But the signal from Wright puts pressure on Capitol Hill to act if the White House formally pushes the concept forward.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the Trump administration is “open to all ideas” to ease pain at the pump, including suspending the federal gas tax. https://t.co/bLKTLTFeEl
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 10, 2026
Axios reported on the significance of Wright’s remarks and the practical realities surrounding a potential suspension:
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Meet the Press that the Trump administration was open to a federal gasoline-tax suspension while pump prices remained elevated across the country. Wright framed the administration’s posture as being receptive to any idea that could lower costs for consumers and businesses, while cautioning that every option on the table carries tradeoffs.
Wright’s answer represented a softer posture than a previous comment from a White House official indicating that the gas-tax idea was not currently under consideration. The shift suggests the administration is broadening its toolkit as gas prices continue to weigh on household budgets heading into the summer driving season.
Axios put the proposal in practical terms. The federal gas tax is the primary funding mechanism for the Highway Trust Fund, meaning a holiday would have direct implications for road and infrastructure spending. Any suspension would require legislation from Congress, making it a heavier political lift than the executive actions the administration has already pursued. Those earlier moves included Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases and Jones Act waivers, steps designed to increase supply and reduce transportation costs for fuel. A temporary tax holiday would be only one piece of a broader energy-price response.
The tradeoff Wright alluded to is real. Every penny of that 18.4-cent tax flows into the Highway Trust Fund, which bankrolls federal road and bridge spending distributed to all 50 states. The Federal Highway Administration explains how that funding pipeline works:
Receipts into the federal Highway Trust Fund come from several highway-related taxes, including taxes on highway fuel, tires, heavy vehicle use, and truck or trailer sales. The current motor-fuel excise tax is set at 18.4 cents per gallon for gasoline and gasohol and 24.4 cents per gallon for special fuel, primarily diesel. Motor-fuel excise taxes raise the largest share of the Fund’s revenue, which is why a temporary holiday would be noticed immediately in Washington budget math.
The revenue is collected by the IRS and deposited into the Highway Trust Fund by the Treasury Department. Those funds are then distributed to states through formulas established in federal legislation, supporting highway construction, maintenance, and safety programs nationwide. FHWA says states report fuel-taxed gallons each month so federal officials can compile the data used for attribution. Any interruption to that revenue stream would require Congress to address how affected projects and state allocations would be funded during the suspension period.
That is a legitimate budgetary consideration, and Wright was honest about it. But the administration’s willingness to discuss it publicly shows that consumer relief is the priority, and the White House is prepared to let Congress weigh the cost.
Regional price data underscores why the conversation is urgent. While the national average sits at $4.452, drivers on the West Coast are paying $5.58, and Californians face a staggering $5.96 per gallon. Even in lower-cost regions like the Gulf Coast and Texas, prices hover near $3.90. Every cent of relief matters when families are filling up multiple vehicles every week.
Trump official opens door to gas tax suspension https://t.co/b3NXs38wTF
— Axios (@axios) May 10, 2026
Nothing has been enacted. No formal proposal has gone to Congress. But the Trump administration is now publicly signaling that a federal gas-tax suspension belongs on the table alongside the executive actions it has already taken. For tens of millions of Americans watching the numbers climb every time they pull up to the pump, that signal alone carries weight.